High-pressure pipes are used in the oilfield to deliver fluids in well stimulation processes, flowback, etc., to enhance or otherwise support production of hydrocarbons from the wells. For example, the pipes may be designed to carry fluids between pumping equipment and the well. The fluids in the pipes can be at pressures exceeding 5,000 psi in some cases. The pipes are generally laid on the ground and connected together, end-to-end, using high-pressure couplings. In most cases, this assembly is effective and is employed without incident.
With such high-pressure pipelines, however, the consequences of a leak or failure in a pipe or coupling can be catastrophic. For example, a failure at a coupling can cause two pipes to decouple, sending an end of one of the pipes whipping about as a large amount of energy is released. This can pose serious risks to the safety of workers, and can potentially damage equipment.
To mitigate this risk, safety systems have been developed for these pipes. These safety systems are generally provided as a cord or cable that extends parallel to the high-pressure pipe, and is tethered to it in multiple locations. While such tethering can reduce the range of the whipping motion, the length of the pipeline that can be secured is limited by the length of the cord/cable. Further, running a cord or cable parallel to the entire length of the pipe, and then making multiple tethered connections can be time-consuming and expensive.